Some Thoughts on NY Poll Claiming Majority is Okay with SSM

August 22, 2011 at 9:00 am

Recently a NY1/Marist poll claimed a majority of New Yorkers support the new same-sex marriage law.

Generally speaking, people are reluctant to change an existing law when they don't think it adversely affects them directly. Using buzz words like "allow" and "legally" also drives up favorable responses, while asking if people want to "overturn" something drives up negative responses.

More importantly, however, the poll further confirms what we've suspected -- that voting to redefine marriage is going to cost GOP Senators: 43% of Republicans are less likely to vote for a state senator who voted to pass the SSM law in NY, a 19-point intensity gap over the 24% of Republicans who are more likely to vote for a state senator who voted for the law. In other words, primaries will matter.

Of course, the only poll that matters is a free and fair vote of the people, an option that was taken off the table by those who pushed for the legislature to redefine marriage unilaterally. Our Let The People Vote campaign is about actually allowing the people of New York to decide this issue. The poll we commissioned in June shows that almost 60% of New Yorkers want their chance to vote on the issue (only 26% wanted the legislature to decide the question).

The fact that those in favor of redefining marriage refuse to join this cause of letting the people vote tells us volumes about where they think New Yorkers really stand on marriage.